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LOUISBURG -- Low vaccination rates, a Delta Variant that's causing a spike in COVID cases for youngsters and lax adherence to face covering recommendations could equal another COVID-19 surge in Franklin County.
As a result, county Health Director Scott LaVigne is recommending a renewed push to wear face coverings indoors -- for vaccinated and unvaccinated folks.
And, his department will try to target vaccination holdouts who might yet still be swayed, he told commissioners during an update at their board meeting Monday.

LOUISBURG -- Following a closed session Monday, Franklin County commissioners agreed to pick up the tab on a higher-than-expected bid for a utility project in the heart of Youngsville.
During a July 15 Youngsville Board of Commissioners' meeting, town officials agreed to contract with Wake Forest-based State Contracting Inc. for its Main Street Improvement Project.

STEAM camps will continue this Thursday and Friday at Riverbend Park in Louisburg. Next week, on Aug. 10 and Aug. 11, the camps will be held at the Broad Community Center in Bunn. Above, Alexis and Diego Carlos paint rocks as their mother, Karina Sias gets a picture.

LOUISBURG -- High construction bids for a new 911 center prompted county commissioners to reject all bids and send designers back to the drawing board.
A fluctuating, post-COVID-19 bidding environment, architects said, pushed the construction bids more than $1 million over budget.
According to David Schrader with SCHRADERGROUP, the architect and engineering firm hired to design the building and oversee construction, fuel, steel and copper prices have all gone up 44 percent to 61 percent since December.

JUSTICE -- One of Franklin County's premier outdoor, farm-related events is no more.
Organizers of the Justice Community Antique Tractor, Car and Engine show announced this week that the event has been discontinued.
The event ran for 19 consecutive years until it was canceled last year because of the COVID pandemic.

The Franklin County Early College High School (FCECHS) opened its doors in January 2010 with one primary goal in mind: To provide students in Franklin County with the opportunity to graduate from high school with an associate's degree, free of charge.
This program has come a long way from its earliest days, when a handful of students and six staff members ventured into uncharted waters to open a school unlike any other in Franklin County's history.

Brett Garrett & Oliver Greene serving food at STEAM camp

Fair warning: Brace yourself, it's going to be quite a fall and early winter ... and perhaps even beyond that!
And that doesn't even consider the heat, humidity, potential hurricanes and assorted other challenges Mother Nature may toss our way.
The upcoming challenges are mostly manmade -- or least made worse by humankind!
First up will be a largely local challenge, although similar scenes will play out across the state and nation -- and largely painful and controversial.

It's been more than three months since Franklin County commissioners talked about animal services issues -- primarily, efforts to improve shelter activities.
And, it's been more six months since animal welfare advocates stood at the podium, pointing out shortcomings and urging commissioners and county staff to enact changes at the animal control shelter.
That changed on Monday night, though.

Charles E Davis, 52, of Louisburg, passed away on July 23, 2021. He was born July 2, 1969, a son of Bill Davis and Brenda Pickard.

FRANKLINTON, NC--Dorotha Mae McNeice Cunningham passed away on July 24, 2021 at her home in Franklinton, NC at the age of 102. The daughter of Guy Otto McNeice and Callie Marie Thomas McNeice, Dorotha was born January 17, 1919 in Wichita, Kansas. Married to William J. Cunningham in 1947 until his death on Dec 25. 2006.

FRANKLINTON, NC--Evelyn Gower Nicholson Bracknell passed away on August 1, 2021 at the age of 100. Evelyn was born on April 11, 1921 to the late Christopher and Ruby Gower Nicholson. In addition to her parents, Evelyn was predeceased by her husband, Walter Bracknell; a daughter, Carolyn Eckstein; and a grandson, Sean Watts.

FRANKLINTON, NC--Martin Edwards Harper, 70, of Franklinton, passed away on July 26, 2021. He was born in Vance County on February 28, 1951 to the late Luther and Mary Alice Edwards Harper.

NASHVILLE, NC -- Funeral services for Pattie Richardson Arrington, age 98, who died on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021 from Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Nashville, with Rev. Charlie Battle officiating. Burial will follow in the Oakland Cemetery.

HENDERSON, NC--Stanley Thomas "Tom" Bryant, 70, of Edwards Rd. Henderson died July 30, 2021, at his home.

LOUISBURG, NC--Valentin Martinez Meza, 64, of Louisburg, died Thursday, July 29, 2021 at his home.

BUNN - For the first time in several years, familiarity wasn't an issue when Bunn High School kicked off its preseason volleyball workouts on Monday at the Bunn Dome.
That's because the Ladycats -- finally -- have a squad loaded with both experience and talent. Long-time BHS head coach Melanie Lovin hopes those intangibles will translate into a playoff spot out of the new Class 2/3-A split Big East Conference.

BUNN -- Bunn's tradition-rich football program went Full Youth Movement during the Spring 2021 season -- with predictable results.
At some times, the Wildcats showed flashes of long-term potential as part of a handful of one-sided victories during what would ultimately be a 3-4 campaign. But the Wildcats experienced some growing pains during other portions of the schedule -- a scenario that was somewhat expected by BHS fourth-year head coach Dale Murphy.

LOUISBURG -- Behind the seating area at Frazier Field is a board featuring all of the names of former Louisburg College baseball players who have gone on to compete at the professional level.
You can now add the name of Trendon Craig to that list as the recent LC grad has signed to continue his diamond career with the Baltimore Orioles' organization.

STANHOPE -- Having a player or coach from Southern Nash High School taking place in a North Carolina East-West All-Star Game is nothing new -- with the last coming when SN's Robbie Kennedy was the head coach in the 2019 E-W Boys Basketball contest (and Firebird Darius Edmundson was a player).
But the 2022 Football showdown will provide a bit of a different scenario as Southern Nash head football coach Brian Batchelor will be traveling back to the prestigious event for a second time.

LYNCHBURG, VA. -- The Lynchburg Hillcats (40-37) piled on nine runs in the first four innings to trump the Carolina Mudcats (46-32) 10-4 Son unday evening at Bank of the James Stadium in Lynchburg. The Mudcats tallied right away on 'Cats starter Josh Wolf in the first inning thanks to a two-RBI double off the bat of Zavier Warren.
In the bottom of the inning, Lynchburg cut the Carolina lead in half with Mudcats' starter TJ Shook on the mound.

Veteran Bunn High School head volleyball coach Melanie Lovin likes her teams's chances this fall in the Big East Conference.

In the shade of a towering tree last Saturday morning, members of a family with deep roots in Franklin County received military service medals that were earned more than a century ago but never delivered to the intended recipient.
The medals were earned by George Dodamead Davis Sr., a field artillery officer, during service in France during World War I.

LOUISBURG -- Elbert Kent was named a new assistant principal at Louisburg High School recently by the Franklin County Board of Education.
Kent comes to FCS from Nash County Public Schools, where he most recently served as Dean of Students and MTSS Coordinator.
He worked closely with parents and teachers to address the sensitive areas that may affect the students' emotions, grades, and behavior while simultaneously assisting staff in creating a positive school climate and helping students with their negative self-concept.

LOUISBURG -- County commissioners will be charged with approving redistricting plans that will govern how Franklin County votes for the next decade.
Population changes, detailed by each census, is what prompts the need for redistricting -- an effort to create equitable voting districts when the numbers of people in a county and within communities change.

BUNN -- In a unanimous vote, the Bunn Board of Commissioners approved the rezoning request from Boddie-Noell Enterprises to rezone 420 South Main Street from Downtown Commercial to Highway Commercial.
This took place during the Bunn Board of Commissioners regular monthly meeting on Monday evening.

LOUISBURG -- Thomas Blacknall's historical marker was presented at 4 p.m. last Wednesday afternoon.
The unveiling took place on 3016 Sims Bridge Road, in Kittrell.
Eight generations of Blacknall's family tree attended the commemoration ceremony, all of whom are direct descendants of Blacknall's sons, Gabriel Blacknall, and Robert Young, and daughter, Peggy Blacknall Hawkins.